Religion Notes

At First Baptist Church of Kennett Square, Sunday, May 5, is a celebration of communion. The Rev. Olsen’s sermon will be “Nevertheless.”

Children 4 years old through fourth grade are dismissed for junior church for the second half of the worship service. Sunday school hour for all ages is at 9:45 a.m. Worship is at 11 a.m.

Each Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. a one-hour Bible Study is held in Fellowship Hall. The Rev. Olsen is teaching the study: “The Bible and Baptist: A History of the King James Bible and Baptists.” How and where did we get our English Bible? Also when, where and why did Baptists begin? Wednesdays at 7 p.m. is a one-hour “Sweet Hour of Prayer” with time of scripture reading, singing and prayer. Youth Group meets 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

First Baptist Church is at 415 W. State St., Kennett Square. For information, call 610-444-5320.

Tuesday Time Apart Worship will be held at Hopewell United Methodist Church on Tuesday, May 7, 7 p.m., in the Bower Chapel. where they will pray for the nation, its leaders and the world. The worship focus that evening will be Let There Be Peace On Earth. The service will be led by Vicki Pry, pastor of Caring Ministries.

Hopewell United Methodist Church is located at 852 Hopewell Road, East Brandywine. Visit the web at www.hopewellumc.org.

The United Methodist Women of the Olivet United Methodist Church will hold its Mother and Daughter Banquet on Tuesday, May 7, at the church at Third Avenue and Chestnut Street in Coatesville. A light supper will be served in the Garden Room at 6 p.m. A Mother/Daughter Tribute will be given by Donna, Stacey, and Paula Ramsay. The program, “Nearer My God To Thee” will be presented by Diane Albertson. Tickets are $4 for adults and children over 12, $2 for children ages 2-12, and no charge for children under 2. The Mission Activity is Blanket Certificates to be used by Church World Service to help those in need throughout the world. For information, call the church office at 610-384-5828.

WellSprings Congregation: A Unitarian Universalist Community offers two Sunday services, 9:30 and 11 a.m. at the Montgomery School, 1141 Kimberton Road (Route 113), in Chester Springs. Everyone is welcome to nurture their soul by enjoying the rhythms of a live rock band, engaging in genuine spiritual friendships, and listening to an insightful message every Sunday at WellSprings. Youth Spirit, children’s time of fellowship, gathers every service.

For more information, visit www.wellspringsuu.org, on Facebook or call 610-280-3797.

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1040 Chestnut Tree Road, Honey Brook, will hold a discussion on “Happy, Healthy Living.” Ruth Rainer, a licensed clinical psychologist, will be the leader. The group meets on Thursdays, 7-8 p.m. “Men & Women - They really are different.” How to better understand the opposite sex. The program is free and open to men & women of all ages. Complimentary refreshments.

For information, call 610-942-2365.

Calvary Lutheran Church in West Chester will hold the following services:

Worship times are 7:45, 9:15, and 10:45 a.m.

A Rejoicing Spirits worship service will be held at 4 p.m. on the third Sunday of the month in Calvary’s Chapel. This ministry reaches out to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through lively music, joyful singing and brief messages. All faiths are welcome. This is also a great worship service for families with small children. Learn more on our website at: www.clcwc.org/rejoicing_spirits.

A new social ministry, “Widows Connect,” meets at the church. This group has been formed to provide hope, support, and friendship to women who have suffered the loss of a spouse. You do not need to be a member of Calvary to participate. For more information, contact Pastor Daniel Krewson at dkrewson@clcwc.org or 610-696-2475.

Calvary Lutheran Church is located at 730 S. New St., the corner of Rosedale Avenue and New Street, in West Chester. Parking is available adjacent to the church and in the auxiliary parking lot on Rosedale Avenue. The church is handicapped accessible. For more information, contact the church office at 610-696-2475 or visit www.clcwc.org.

Avondale Presbyterian Church, 420 Pennsylvania Ave. (across from 5th Street), Avondale, holds Sunday Worship at 8:30 at 11 a.m. with a blend of traditional and contemporary music. Sunday School for all ages is at 9:45 a.m. Second Sundays is “Family Fun Time” at 9:45 a.m.. Junior Church is held during the 11 a.m. service for grades K-4. Supervised nursery care is provided all morning. Youth Group meets in the APC Quarry at 6 p.m. and includes dinner, prayer & devotion, games. Adult-led After-school Adventures are held Wednesdays 4-6 p.m. for 1st-6th grades. Praise & Prayer Time on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary.

For information, call 610-268-2919 or visit www.avondalepc.org.

A networking and support group to aid the unemployed and underemployed, started eight years ago by a Downingtown area church, has expanded its no-cost initiative and changed its meeting time. The Barnabas Group will meet on Mondays in Room 104-105 of Calvary Fellowship Church, located at 95 W. Devon Drive at Route 113 in Uwchlan.

Keeping That Job, a free seminar to assist job-seekers in keeping and maintaining a position during initial employment periods when it often is lost, will be the subject at the Monday, May 6, meeting.

The group -- Barnabas Group, named after the Christian disciple identified in the Bible as the Son of Encouragement -- was founded by John Keeny, a former small business owner and current director of business operations at the church, and insurance executive Glenn Clark.

The new optional dinner feature, designed to provide a time of additional connecting and fellowship, starts at 6:15 p.m., followed by weekly job-related presentations and activities from 7 to 8 p.m., and optional networking opportunities until 9 p.m. The church’s Monday Night Prayer also is available, starting at 6:30 p.m., with a prayer pastor and prayer team members available for individual prayer for attendees of any of the evening’s care ministries that also include GriefShare, DivorceCare and Mending Hearts.

Further information on the Barnabas Group, along with requested reservations to help ensure availability of sufficient materials, is available from Casey Jones at bps461@msn.com or 610-707-1494.

Centennial Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1330 Hares Hill Road, Kimberton, will hold a Traditional Service at 8:45 with the Modern Service 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 5. Sunday School is held at 10 a.m. with classes for all ages.

The youth group will be having an “all-nighter” at Ozzy’s from Friday, May 3, at 7 p.m. until Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 a.m.

On Sunday, May 5, there will be a New Member Orientation from noon until 2 p.m. for those interested in joining Centennial. Refreshments and childcare will be provided. Let the church office know if you plan to attend.

On Wednesday, May 8, the New Life Worship Service will be held at 7 p.m.

Visit www.centenniallutheran.org. You can also call 610-933-1528 or email Rebecca@Centenniallutheran.org.

The Chester County Youth Orchestra will present its 2013 Benefit Concert on Saturday, May 4 ,at 7:30 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church (10 W. Pleasant Grove Road off Route 202 south of West Chester)

Tickets available at the door: Adults $10, Seniors and Students $5.

All proceeds benefit the West Chester Food Cupboard.

Celebrate World Organ Day on Sunday, May 5. For the 850th anniversary of the organ at Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris), 850 concerts across five continents have been organized.

The Mark Baily Memorial concert at Church of the Loving Shepherd, 1066 S. New St., West Chester, will feature music from the Notre Dame repertory at 7:30 p.m. Musicians include Gael Abbasi (cello), William Munich (piano), Augustine Mercante (countertenor), Barbara Prugh (trumpet), Kathleen Scheide (organ) and Edward Schultz (flute). After the concert, meet the artists and enjoy refreshments. Call 610-692-5662 to reserve seats. Suggested donation is $25.

Daylesford Abbey will also celebrate World Organ Day with a free concert by Stefan Ulrich Kling, O. Praem., principal organist and director of music, Monastery Church of Roggenburg, Bavaria at 3 p.m. To reserve a seat, call 610-647-2530 ext 133 or email: jackiroi@daylesford.org. For information, visit www.daylesford.org. The abbey is located at 22 S. Valley Road, Willistown.

Oxford United Methodist Church will be hosting its third annual Super Saturday on Saturday, May 4, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 18 Addison St., Oxford.

Yard sale space is free, with a $5 charge to rent a table, if needed. The chicken barbecue meal, which will begin around 11 a.m., costs $10 and includes ½ chicken, potato salad, baked beans, apple sauce, roll & butter, cookies and a can of soda. The barbecue has sold out both previous years, so you are encouraged to buy your tickets in advance by calling the church office at 610-932-9698. To reserve space for the yard sale, you can also call the church office.

As in years past there will be a fine variety of locally grown plants and flowers well-suited for beautifying your yard this spring. Included will be some lovely hanging baskets that make great Mother’s Day gifts. After making their plant purchases, buying their barbecue and sampling the yard sales, patrons are invited to peruse the items the church is selling through eBay, and place their bids. In the past the church has held an on-site auction as part of its Harvest Fair, but decided to turn to eBay this spring to reach more potential bidders, and get more value for the generous gifts of its members. The online auction will run from May 4 to May 11.

All proceeds from the day go to support the programs and activities of the church. For more information, call 610-932-9698, or visit www.oumc-online.org.

Each spring St. Peter’s Pikeland United Church of Christ holds a fair in support of Heifer Project International. This year the fair will be held Sunday, May 5, at the church, 1193 Clover Mill Road, Chester Springs, at 11 a.m. on the church grounds. Rain or Shine.

Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. For more than 60 years, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. Heifer is currently working in more than 50 countries, including the U.S., to help families and communities become more self-reliant.

The theme of St. Peter’s Heifer Project is the ARK and so Noah and his friends will be in at the fair in support of Heifer. The whole community is invited to worship under the tent beginning at 10 a.m.

There will be baked goods, food, games for the kids, face painting, pony rides, moon bounce and fun stuff to buy and the Living Gift Market.

Call the church at 610-933-6419.

Life in the Spirit Seminars will be held Tuesday, May 7, 14 and 21, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m., at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, 15 E. Pleasant Grove Rd., West Chester.

For more information, contact Frances Hay at fhay99@comcast.net or call610-431-7938.

The music and lyrics of Steven Sondheim and the book prepared by James Lapine are performed all over the world for people who love the theater. Directed by John Hunter Orr, The Saint Peter’s Players, with three strong successful plays under their wings in the past three years, are now bringing Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” to its theater at St. Peter’s Church in the Great Valley and it’s coming on May 9, 10 & 11. For information & tickets, call 610-644-9260.

“Into the Woods” will take you places you’ve never been. It will even reunite you with the likes of Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and others. (Sondheim and Lapine obviously enjoy their work). They gave birth to an extraordinary event. It has provided the cast of the St. Peter’s Players and marvelous singers with the opportunity to bring a wonderful evening to those who come.

West Grove United Methodist Church’s semi-annual Rummage Sale will be held Friday, May 3, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m. to noon. This sale is open to the entire community. On Saturday, you may fill a brown paper grocery sack for only $2. Leftover items are donated to Mission Santa Maria. The United Methodist Women who sponsor this sale, use the proceeds to fund various needs in the church and the wider community.

The church is located at 300 N. Guernsey Road, West Grove. For directions or additional information, call 610-869-9334 or visit www.westgroveumc.org.

The United Methodist Church of the Open Door, 210 S. Broad St., Kennett Square, will be holding a benefit for the Kennett Food Cupboard. The Java and JAMZ Community Benefit featuring the Kennett CommUNITY Choir, the Sweet Adeline’s and the Gospel Disciples will be held from 7-9 p.m., Friday, May 10. The community is invited. Admission is free. Donations will be requested. For information, call 610-444-2400.

The Marshallton United Methodist Men’s Annual Flower Sale will begin on Friday, May 10 and continue through May 25. The church is located at 1282 W. Strasburg Road, West Chester. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Proceeds will help support local, regional, and global outreach. For more information, contact the church office at 610-696-5247.

Doe Run Presbyterian Church, 3104 Doe Run Church Road, East Fallowfield will be holding a plant sale on Saturday, May 11, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Refreshments available

All proceeds will benefit the local and global Mission work of Doe Run Church. For more information call the church office at 610-486-0744. Event is rain or shine.

Sheriff Carolyn Welch and Harry McKinney of the Chester County Sheriff’s Office will be the guest speakers at the Willistown United Methodist Church breakfast on Sunday, May 12. They will speak on the four K-9 teams and five canines with the sheriff’s office. The time of the breakfast is 7:45 and the program will be completed by 9 a.m. The Willistown church is located on route 3, two miles east of the intersection of routes 3 and 352. For questions, call Alan Clark at 610-399-1248.

A Children’s Clothing and Toy Resale is taking place on Saturday, May 18, from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, Route 896 & Gypsy Hill Road Landenberg, (near intersection of 841 and 896). The resale is sponsored by the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) ministry and will feature baby, children’s and maternity clothing as well as toys, books, games and baby equipment. Children’s clothes will be sizes preemie to 14/16, no juniors. Cash only. Visit www.cornerstonepca.com for more information.

Send your religion notes to Phyllis Rowan at prowan@dailylocal.com. Information must be received at least two weeks prior to the event.